The first leader of the illegal armed groups of the “Luhansk People’s Republic” terrorist organization, Valery Bolotov, has died, according to Russian media, Joinfo.com reports with reference to UNIAN.

The first leader of the illegal armed groups of the “Luhansk People’s Republic” terrorist organization, Valery Bolotov, has died, that’s according to the Russian media referring to the former self-proclaimed “prime minister” of “Donetsk People’s Republic” Alexander Boroday and another source close to Bolotov.

Boroday said that he learned about the death of Bolotov from his family, adding that he was not aware of the details of Bolotov’s death. RBC Source close to Bolotov confirmed the death of the former head of Luhansk terrorists. RBC reports that the causes of death are yet unclear.

According to the Information Resistance analytical group, in November last year, former leader of the “LPR” Valery Bolotov, while in the territory of the Russian Federation, began to disseminate information on the creation of social and political movement Yedineniye [Unity]. In December 2016, Bolotov said that “in the near future,” the current leader of the “LPR” Igor Plotnitsky would be “laid off”.

Struggle for life or for office: Health Minister Uliana Suprun faces negligence allegations

General Director of the Heart Institute Todurov publicly accused the leadership of Ukraine’s Health Ministry of the mass deaths of Ukrainians, 112 Ukraine TV channel reported.
Ukraine witnesses a battle for the post of Minister of Health. Last Friday member of the Parliamentary Committee on Health, MP Ihor Shurma said that the Cabinet began a discussion of relevant candidates.

However, according to a source in “Bloc of Petro Poroshenko,” none of the candidates has the required number of votes of people’s deputies.

A new round of talks about the change of the minister started after a scandal, the official speakers of which became the renowned heart surgeon Boris Todurov and Acting Minister of Health Uliana Suprun.

Todurov publicly accused the leadership of the Ministry of the mass deaths of Ukrainians.

“You have failed to carry out this procurement (of medicines for people with heart deceases) for 364 million UAH. I absolutely responsibly declare (and I can repeat it in court) that your negligence took more lives of Ukrainians than the war in recent years,” Todurov said.

Many politicians did not like such sharp statements.

Ministry of Health acknowledged that tenders for the purchase of drugs were announced only at the end of 2016.

For its part, Prime Minister Groisman voiced his supportive position concerning Suprun, at the same time adding that acting minister should listen to criticism in her address.

However, sources in political parties “Block of Petro Poroshenko” and “Popular Front” pointed out that the main reason for criticism of Suprun was the Ministry of Health acts to attract foreign structures to the procurement of medicines and reduction of the impact on the industry of health lobby in the Parliament. Our interlocutors say that the main initiator of the campaign was pharmacological lobby, adding that its representatives are in BPP and in the “Opposition bloc”, represented by Igor Shurma.

Among Parliament lobbyists, there are chairman of the Health Committee Olga Bogomolets, former head of the Committee Tatiana Bakhteeva, and Hlib Zahoria, owner of the pharmaceutical company “Darnytsia”.

“Imagine that you have mastered the billions of hryvnias, and now someone wants to remove you from them. Of course, you will strongly resist,” the sources explain.

One of the former Health Ministers noted that maintaining Suprun will allow procuring through international organizations. And Suprun believes that the scandal will not affect her appointment as a minister.

The Parliament again spoke about the appointment of a full-fledged Minister of Health. Member of the Health Committee, Igor Shurma said that the government has initiated a discussion of the candidates for the chair.

According to our sources in the presidential administration, consultations on the appointment of the new head of the ministry have really begun, and there are two candidates, who were rejected by the medical lobby.

Sources in the “Bloc Petro Poroshenko” believe that despite the fact that Suprun is supported by the presidential administration, she might not be appointed Minister.

“People close to the president say that of course, they support Suprun, but they may also give way to the medical lobby, as the head of state has no personal interest,” the source said.

Railway blockade in Luhansk region: Minister Tuka calls on unblock the lines and punish those who did it

Deputy Minister for Temporarily Occupied Territories and Internally Displaced Persons Hryhoriy Tuka has said it is necessary to unblock railway lines in Luhansk region connecting to areas not under the control of Kyiv and punish those individuals who blocked them, Interfax-Ukraine reports.

“This should be accomplished under the current laws, and not ‘opinions,'” Tuka told journalists in Kyiv on Friday.

He said Ukrainian officials should now “unblock railway lines and prosecute those responsible for the blockages, according to Ukrainian law.” He added that as of January 26 in the evening trains with 52 empty wagons were blocked.

As earlier reported, veterans from Anti-Terrorism Operation (ATO) operations and Verkhovna Rada deputies on January 25 blocked the Luhansk-Lysychansk-Popasna railway line at Horske-Zolote in order to intercept illegal arms shipments with Russia-backed militant groups. The checkpoint of the blockade was named “Bohdan Pillbox.”

Ukrainian prosecutors on January 26 opened a criminal case for blocking railway lines pursuant to Part 1 of Article 279 of Ukraine’s Criminal Code (blocking transportation corridors).

A spokeswoman for the Luhansk region’s Prosecutor General’s Office Anna Zykova said dozens of men in camouflaged uniforms along with parliament deputies, including Semen Semenchenko, Taras Pastukh and Volodymyr Parasiuk were located at the 41-kilometer mark of the railway line.

Luhansk Military-Civilian Regional Administration Head Yuriy Harbuz said on his Facebook page that the protesters blocked railways lines used for transporting coal. He said the blockade threatened national security.

“If shipments are not resumed, electricity-generating stations in central and western Ukraine would be deprived of fuel to generate electricity,” he said.